The Lord of the Rings
by Sanura Bey
Summary: The races of Middle Earth. Elves. Dwarves. Men. Hobbits. Wizards. Dragons. Orcs. Those are the ones we know, but what of the last one? The Elementals were one of the first in Middle Earth and yet one of the few ever seen by the other races. When the One Ring was brought before the council they made their appearance. What will the be like? How will they interact with the other races
1. Prologue

The world is changed: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, I smell it in the air...Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it. It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest...fairest of all beings. Five were given to the Elementals, spirits of nature said to have created all worlds. Seven to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And Nine...nine rings were gifted to the race of Men who, above all else, desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in the fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a Master Ring to control all others and into this Ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all. One by one the Free lands of Middle earth fell to the power of the ring. But there were some who resisted. A last alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor. On the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle- Earth. Victory was near! But the power of the Ring could not be undone. It was in this moment..when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father's sword. Sauron, the enemy of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur...who had this one chance to destroy evil forever. But the hearts of Men are easily corrupted. And the Ring of Power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten...were lost. History became legend...legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years the Ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer! The Ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. And there, it consumed him. The Ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind. And in the gloom of Gollum's cave it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a Shadow in the East...whispers of a nameless fear. And the Ring of Power perceived...its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But something happened then the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A Hobbit...Bilbo Baggins of the Shire. For the time will soon come when Hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.


	2. Rivendell

I rode into Rivendell with four of my kinsmen behind me, one to represent each element.

"My Lady," an elf said bowing slightly to me. "Welcome to Rivendell." I dismounted from my horse and walked to him.

"We wish to be shown to our guest chambers." I told him and he nodded with a kind smile on his face. He walked away and we followed him, trusting our horses would be cared for. We passed many elves along the way who bowed slightly, save for one. He stared, questions in his eyes, as we walked past him. I ignored him for the most part, but his blue eyes stayed with me.

"These five rooms here have been prepared for you. If you should need anything, please don't hesitate to call for me." the young elf said before walking away.

"Your Majesty, should we check our chambers tonight?" One of the four men behind me asked.

"No, we are free to wonder. If you wish to retire then do so." I said before walking away from them. As I walked I took in the sights of nature around me and allowed a small smile to slip onto my face. I stopped when I reached a balcony overlooking a beautiful waterfall. My smile grew as I watched the water flow freely, unaware of my surroundings.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" I looked beside me to see the elf I'd noticed earlier.

"It is. I've seen almost no equal to it." I told him staring back at the waterfall.

"Who are you?" he asked me suddenly and a small laugh escaped before I could contain it.

"I am Elwing, Queen of the Elementals. And you?" I asked him.

"Legolas of Mirkwood." he said bowing slightly. We stared back at the waterfall in a comfortable silence for sometime as the day passed us by. "This is a very quiet first meeting."

"That it is. But it is a comfortable meeting. If we'd met under different circumstances we wouldn't be able to share this silence or beauty." I said before turning and walking away.

"Where are you going?" he asked me.

"To my quest chambers. The lords I traveled with are most certainly looking for me." I told him as I walked.

* * *

The next day we all sat around the council room, each race sitting together.

"Strangers from distant lands ... friends of old. You have been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. Middle-earth stands upon the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite...or you will fall. Each race is bound to this fate...this one doom... Bring forth the ring, Frodo." a hobbit stepped forward and moved towards a stone Plinth that sat in the center of the room. He placed a gold ring onto it and returned to his seat.

"So it is true!" a man said shocked.

"Sauron's Ring! The ring of power!" Legolas said staring at it.

"The doom of man!" A dwarf said.

"The death of us all!" one of my lords said staring at it.

"It is a gift...a gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use this Ring? Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, held the forces of Mordor at bay...by the blood of our people all your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy...let us use it against him!" the man said standing and addressing the council.

"You cannot wield it. None of us can. The one ring answers to Sauron alone...it has no other master." another man said and the first man turned to him.

"And what would a ranger know of this matter?" the first man asked him, but the second man said nothing and he turned away dismissively.

"This is no mere Ranger. He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance." Legolas said standing to defend the second man.

"Aragorn? This is Isildur's heir?" the first man asked.

"And heir to the throne of Gondor." Legolas said.

"Havo dad, Legolas..." Aragorn said to him, motioning him to sit down.

"Gondor needs no king." the first man said sitting down in his seat.

"Aragorn is right...we cannot use it." the wizard, Gandalf, said before the council.

"You have only one choice..the ring must be destroyed." Lord Elrond said and the dwarf suddenly stood excitedly.

"Then...what are we waiting for?" he asked rushing forward and swinging his ax down on the ring. He was thrown back and his ax was shattered with a deafening crack. I stared at the ring and saw it unharmed.

"The ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Gloin, by any craft that we here possess. The ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom...only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor, and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came. One of you must do this." Lord Elrond said and everyone sat in silence.

"One does not simply walk into Mordor. Its black gates are guarded by more than just Orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the Great Eye is ever watchful. It is a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust...the very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this. It is folly." the man said quietly.

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond has said?" Legolas asked standing again.

"The ring must be destroyed." I said agreeing with him.

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli asked him standing as well.

"And if we fail, what then? What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?" the man asked the council.

"I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an Elf!" Gimli said and the dwarves and elves stood and a storm of argument erupted around the room. The men and my people and I all stood and we all argued our points.

"I will take it..." We all stopped arguing and looked down at the small hobbit in silence. "I will take the Ring to Mordor. Though...I do not know the way." Gandalf walked to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long as it is yours to bear." Gandalf told him before standing behind him.

"If, by my life or death, I can protect you, I will." Aragorn knelt before Frodo. "...you have my sword." Aragorn told him standing behind him as well.

"And you have my bow." Legolas told him.

"And my axe." Gimli said the they both stood behind him.

"You have the strength few posses in their hearts, even the Elementals. You have our magic at your side." I said standing behind him as well to see the stunned looks on the lords faces. the man looked at us all and then walked to Frodo.

"You carry the fate of us all, little one. If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done." the man said standing behind him with us.

"Here!" a voice suddenly called out and a hobbit ran to Frodo from behind us.

"Mr. Frodo's not gong anywhere without me." he said stubbornly.

"No, Indeed...it is hardly possible to separate you...even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not." Lord Elrond said to him. Two more hobbits came running down from more bushes to us.

"Oi! We're coming too! You'll have to send us home tied up in a sack to stop us." one of them said.

"Anyway...you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission...quest...thing..." the second one said and I raised my eyebrow at him.

"Well, that rules you out, Pip." the first one told him and he nodded before realizing what the first had said.

"Ten companions ... so be it. You shall be the "Fellowship of the ring"" Lord Elrond announced.

"Great. Where are we going?" the young hobbit asked him and I could feel the annoyance from some of the others.

* * *

I stood staring at the waterfall in wonder and at peace, my belongings already packed.

"Your Majesty." I turned to see Lord Elrond behind me and I smiled a pleasant smile.

"Lord Elrond." I bowed my head lightly to him.

"I find it curious that you wished to be a member of the fellowship when you have four perfectly good lords behind you not to mention the guards who've posted themselves around Rivendell." he said and my smile grew slightly.

"I'm sorry about them. I asked them not to come but they insisted. As for my joining the fellowship... my people have been part of the Middle Earth and yet not. It is time for us to work with the other races of our world for the common good." I told him.

"So you volunteer to do something that could kill you?" he asked me.

"It seems like the thing to do. Our world is in danger, who are we to stand on the sidelines and watch everyone die around us?" I asked him. We stood staring at each other for a moment.

"Is it beneficial for the Queen of an entire race to put her life on the line just for her people to be part of the world again?" he asked me.

"If not me, then who? The Lords I brought with me would never volunteer for the job." I said looking back at the waterfall.

"You would be the only woman surrounded by men of many races." he said and I smiled.

"I have grown up surrounded by men my entire life, Lord Elrond. I believe I can play peace keeper just fine." I told him see someone out of the corner of my eye, watching us.


End file.
